While suicide rates have held in a relatively steady range since 1950, the Centers of Disease and Prevention reports that these rates are at least three times higher for men. Since 2000, men have also had at least twice the risk of death from suicide than from homicide.

But suicide is preventable. You need to know the risk factors and warning signs that can help you save the lives of your loved ones – or yourself.

Learn The Warning Signs

There are many causes that can lead a person to commit suicide. However, there are red flags that you may witness just before a person attempts the act. Keep in mind that you’re looking for patterns, not isolated incidents. If you suspect someone is at risk, pay attention to the following:

What They SayPeople who are suicidal may talk about killing themselves but there are also more subtle comments. For example, they may talk about being a burden to others. Listen for an overwhelming sense of hopelessness.

What They DoRisky behaviors can include buying weapons, increased substance use and spending too much time sleeping. Are you suddenly having a hard time getting in touch with this person? Isolation and withdrawal are often signs that something is wrong.

How They FeelDepression, despair and rage can be clues, too. Learn more detailed warning signs in this article from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Are You In A High-Risk Group?

Certain people may be more likely to attempt suicide. High-risk groups include:

People with suicide in their family history.

Someone who has recently experienced a traumatic event or life-changing loss.

People with a substance use disorder.

Those who suffer from clinical depression.

People with serious, chronic, or terminal illnesses.

Young adults and teens.

Youth At Risk

According to the Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, suicide is “the second leading cause of death for adults ages 25-34, and the third leading cause for youth ages 15-24.” For young people, additional risk factors, such as self-mutilation or fighting can be a sign. Kids who are bullied are also vulnerable. See a complete list of risk factors for youth in this article at The Jason Foundation.

Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorder

When a person with a substance use disorder is also suffering from a mental health disorder, it is critical that they carefully manage both disorders to ensure that a relapse from one to the other does not occur. Once both disorders are fully active, the person’s condition can turn life-threatening.

Engaging in a recovery program is critical as is working with a therapist to address both issues. An inpatient treatment facility may be beneficial. Twenty-four hour care can keep the patient safe while they progress through recovery. This article from the National Institute on Drug Abuse has more information on the types of treatment programs that are available.

Suicide Prevention

How can you prevent a suicide from occurring? You need to take action as soon as possible.

Get help now

If you are feeling suicidal or you think your loved one is at danger right now, don’t hesitate. Get help immediately. Call 1-800-SUICIDE or chat directly on their website.

Long-term solutions

If you or your loved one is not in crisis at the moment, you can still take action. Therapy and counseling are critical in helping work through these issues. If there are substance abuse issues, a recovery program is necessary.

The most important thing anyone at risk of suicide needs is support. Be sure to be there for your friend or family member to help them through this crisis. If you are the one at risk, engage with loved ones, support groups or clergy to get help. There are many resources that can help you, but you must take the first step.

Mental Health MonthEach year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness. During May, NAMI and the rest of the country are raising awareness of mental health. Each year we fight stigma, provide support, educate the public and advocate for policies that support people with mental illness and their families.In 2018, NAMI will promote the theme of "CureStigma" throughout all awareness events, including Mental Health Month.

Why this cause is important: One in 5 Americans is affected by mental health conditions. Stigma is toxic to their mental health because it creates an environment of shame, fear and silence that prevents many people from seeking help and treatment. The perception of mental illness won’t change unless we act to change it.

Campaign manifesto: There’s a virus spreading across America. It harms the 1 in 5 Americans affected by mental health conditions. It shames them into silence. It prevents them from seeking help. And in some cases, it takes lives. What virus are we talking about? It’s stigma. Stigma against people with mental health conditions. But there’s good news. Stigma is 100% curable. Compassion, empathy and understanding are the antidote. Your voice can spread the cure.

Join NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Together we can #CureStigma.

Medical identity theft is increasing at an alarming rate. Theft of your medical identify can be more profitable for criminals than the theft of a credit card.

The National Institute of Health reported "Medical identity theft negatively affects healthcare consumers, providers, and payers. At the consumer level, healthcare and financial problems resulting from medical identity theft can have devastating effects. A healthcare consumer whose medical identity is linked with another individual's medical information could encounter life-threatening experiences as a result of receiving inappropriate medications or treatment. Consumers may suffer financial consequences when healthcare services provided to the fraudulent individual are billed to the medical identity theft victim or the victim's insurance carrier."

For your protection, in January, the Counseling Center will begin using photographs to check our patients' identity. The photographs will be part of the Electronic Health Record, used for identification purposes and considered confidential Protected Health Information.

Be sure to read and understand your insurance statements. Check to be sure your Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from your insurance company or Medicare matches the dates, procedures and providers for the treatment and service you have received.

Parents have a lot on their plate: mortgage payments, healthcare, caring for elderly parents, raising kids, just to name a few. As the new school year approaches, they face additional stressors — paying for back-to-school supplies, clothes and possibly tuition. Many parents may also be worried about their children starting a new school, changing school districts, facing a more rigorous academic year or dealing with difficult social situations. Often the fear of the unknown — classmates, teachers, the school building — is the most stressful for family members, whether it’s the children hopping on the school bus or their parents who have to wave goodbye.“The end of summer and the beginning of a new school year can be a stressful time for parents and children,” says psychologist Lynn Bufka, PhD. “While trying to manage work and the household, parents can sometimes overlook their children’s feelings of nervousness or anxiety as school begins. Working with your children to build resilience and manage their emotions can be beneficial for the psychological health of the whole family.”Fortunately, children are extremely capable of coping with change and parents can help them in the process by providing a setting that fosters resilience and encourages them to share and express their feelings about returning to school.APA offers the following back-to-school tips:

Practice the first day of school routine: Getting into a sleep routine before the first week of school will aide in easing the shock of waking up early. Organizing things at home — backpack, binder, lunchbox or cafeteria money — will help make the first morning go smoothly. Having healthy, yet kid-friendly lunches will help keep them energized throughout the day. Also, walking through the building and visiting your child’s locker and classroom will help ease anxiety of the unknown.

Get to know your neighbors: If your child is starting a new school, walk around your block and get to know the neighborhood children. Try and set up a play date, or, for an older child, find out where neighborhood kids might go to safely hang out, like the community pool, recreation center or park.

Talk to your child: Asking your children about their fears or worries about going back to school will help them share their burden. Inquire as to what they liked about their previous school or grade and see how those positives can be incorporated into their new experience.

Empathize with your children: Change can be difficult, but also exciting. Let your children know that you are aware of what they’re going through and that you will be there to help them in the process. Nerves are normal, but highlight that not everything that is different is necessarily bad. It is important to encourage your children to face their fears instead of falling in to the trap of encouraging avoidance.

Get involved and ask for help: Knowledge of the school and the community will better equip you to understand your child’s surroundings and the transition he or she is undergoing. Meeting members of your community and school will foster support for both you and your child. If you feel the stress of the school year is too much for you and your child to handle on your own, seeking expert advice from a mental health professional, such as a psychologist, will help you better manage and cope.

Special thanks to Mary Alvord, PhD, for her help with this article. The full text of articles from APA Help Center may be reproduced and distributed for noncommercial purposes with credit given to the American Psychological Association. Any electronic reproductions must link to the original article on the APA Help Center. Any exceptions to this, including excerpting, paraphrasing or reproduction in a commercial work, must be presented in writing to the APA.Images from the APA Help Center may not be reproduced. ​http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/school-rush.aspx

​Mental health is essential to everyone’s overall health and well-being, and mental illnesses are common and treatable. But people experience symptoms of mental illnesses differently—and some engage in potentially dangerous or risky behaviors to avoid or cover up symptoms of a potential mental health problem.

Sometimes people—especially young people—struggling with mental health concerns develop habits and behaviors that increase the risk of developing or exacerbating mental illnesses, or could be signs of mental health problems themselves. Activities like compulsive sex, recreational drug use, obsessive internet use, excessive spending, or disordered exercise patterns can all be behaviors that can disrupt someone’s mental health and potentially lead them down a path towards crisis.

This May is Mental Health Month; The Counseling Center is raising awareness of Risky Business (#riskybusiness). The campaign is meant to educate and inform individuals dealing with a mental health concern understand that some behaviors and habits can be detrimental to recovery—or even mask a deeper issue—but that seeking help is nothing to be ashamed of. Take the interactive quiz at www.mentalhealthamerica.net/whatstoofar and tell us when you think behaviors or habits go from being acceptable to unhealthy.

The Counseling Center wants everyone to know that mental illnesses are real, that recovery is always the goal, and that even if you or someone you love are engaging in risky behavior, there is help. It is important to understand early symptoms of mental illness and know when certain behaviors are potentially signs of something more. We need to speak up early and educate people about risky behavior and its connection to mental illness—and do so in a compassionate, judgement-free way.

When we engage in prevention and early identification, we can help reduce the burden of mental illness by identifying symptoms and warning signs early—and provide effective treatment Before Stage 4. So, let’s talk about what is and is not risky business. Let’s understand where it’s important to draw the line, so that we can address mental illness B4Stage4, and help others on the road to recovery. For more information, visit www.mentalhealthamerica.net/may.

Everyone—adults, teens, and even children—experiences stress at times. Stress can be beneficial by helping people develop the skills they need to cope with and adapt to new and potentially threatening situations throughout life. However, the beneficial aspects of stress diminish when it is severe enough to overwhelm a person's ability to take care of themselves and family. Using healthy ways to cope and getting the right care and support can put problems in perspective and help stressful feelings and symptoms subside.Stress is a condition that is often characterized by symptoms of physical or emotional tension. It is a reaction to a situation where a person feels threatened or anxious. Stress can be positive (e.g., preparing for a wedding) or negative (e.g., dealing with a natural disaster).Sometimes after experiencing a traumatic event that is especially frightening—including personal or environmental disasters, or being threatened with an assault—people have a strong and lingering stress reaction to the event. Strong emotions, jitters, sadness, or depression may all be part of this normal and temporary reaction to the stress of an overwhelming event.​Common reactions to a stressful event can include:

Disbelief, shock, and numbness

Feeling sad, frustrated, and helpless

Fear and anxiety about the future

Feeling guilty

Anger, tension, and irritability

Difficulty concentrating and making decisions

Crying

Reduced interest in usual activities

Wanting to be alone

Loss of appetite

Sleeping too much or too little

Nightmares or bad memories

Reoccurring thoughts of the event

Headaches, back pains, and stomach problems

Increased heart rate, difficulty breathing

Smoking or use of alcohol or drugs

Healthy Ways to Cope with StressFeeling emotional and nervous or having trouble sleeping and eating can all be normal reactions to stress. Engaging in healthy activities and getting the right care and support can put problems in perspective and help stressful feelings subside in a few days or weeks. Some tips for beginning to feel better are:

Take care of yourself.

Eat healthy, well-balanced meals

Exercise on a regular basis

Get plenty of sleep

Give yourself a break if you feel stressed out

Talk to others. Share your problems and how you are feeling and coping with a parent, friend, counselor, doctor, or pastor.

Avoid drugs and alcohol. Drugs and alcohol may seem to help with the stress. In the long run, they create additional problems and increase the stress you are already feeling.

Take a break. If your stress is caused by a national or local event, take breaks from listening to the news stories, which can increase your stress.

Recognize when you need more help. If problems continue or you are thinking about suicide, talk to a psychologist, social worker, or professional counselor.If you or someone you know needs immediate help, please contact the one of the following crisis hotlines:

Helping Youth Cope with StressBecause of their level of development, children and adolescents often struggle with how to cope well with stress. Youth can be particularly overwhelmed when their stress is connected to a traumatic event—like a natural disaster (earthquakes, tornados, wildfires), family loss, school shootings, or community violence. Parents and educators can take steps to provide stability and support that help young people feel better.

Tips for ParentsIt is natural for children to worry, especially when scary or stressful events happen in their lives. Talking with children about these stressful events and monitoring what children watch or hear about the events can help put frightening information into a more balanced context. Some suggestions to help children cope are:

Maintain a normal routine. Helping children wake up, go to sleep, and eat meals at regular times provide them a sense of stability. Going to school and participating in typical after-school activities also provide stability and extra support.

Talk, listen, and encourage expression. Create opportunities to have your children talk, but do not force them. Listen to your child’s thoughts and feelings and share some of yours. After a traumatic event, it is important for children to feel like they can share their feelings and to know that their fears and worries are understandable. Keep these conversations going by asking them how they feel in a week, then in a month, and so on.

Watch and listen. Be alert for any change in behavior. Are children sleeping more or less? Are they withdrawing from friends or family? Are they behaving in any way out of the ordinary? Any changes in behavior, even small changes, may be signs that the child is having trouble coming to terms with the event and may [need] support.

Reassure. Stressful events can challenge a child's sense of physical and emotional safety and security. Take opportunities to reassure your child about his or her safety and well-being and discuss ways that you, the school, and the community are taking steps to keep them safe.

Connect with others. Make an on-going effort to talk to other parents and your child’s teachers about concerns and ways to help your child cope. You do not have to deal with problems alone-it is often helpful for parents, schools, and health professionals to work together to support and ensuring the well-being of all children in stressful times.